The congregation of Midway United Methodist Church recently packed meals to ship overseas, as well as sandwiches for Forsyth County children.

Some 200 members and attendees of Midway United Methodist Church in south Forsyth recently transformed the church’s sanctuary into a meal-packaging center.

Led by Midway UMC members Heather Bryson and Randy and Jenna Hand, the effort benefitted Stop Hunger Now, an international hunger relief effort, and Bags of Love, a community-based effort that helps feed more than 8,500 local children who rely on free and reduced cost meals when they’re out of school for summer break.

For Stop Hunger Now, the volunteers packed meals with items such as rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and vitamin and mineral-enhanced flavoring mixes.

The meals, which cost the church about 25 cents each, were packaged, weighed and boxed on site.

In total, the church packaged 30,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now.

For Bags of Love, the group also prepared and packaged some 600 sandwiches.

“In about an hour and a half, 200 people age 3 to 93 packaged more than 30,000 meals,” Pastor Stacey Hanson said in a statement. “That translates into 1,000 people somewhere in the world who will not go hungry for a month … and another group made 600 sandwiches and packed lunches that will feed local schoolchildren.

“Our congregation is serving people they’ll never meet, both overseas and in our own backyard. That’s impact. [It was] one of my best days in church, maybe ever.”

The Bags of Love program will continue at the church, 5025 Atlanta Hwy., every Sunday through August.